Area Agency on Aging seeks funds for residents in need during holidays

An annual fundraiser to provide residents in need with a little holiday cheer has begun.

On Thursday, the Lewis- Mason-Thurston Area Agency on Aging (LMTAAA) announced it has begun to accept donations to provide local residents in need with a gift card this holiday season.

According to the agency, the annual program will run differently this year than in the past.

The agency will run a raffle to select recipients, with the LMTAAA then purchasing gift cards for clients who can then buy the holiday wish items of their choice. In the past, the agency has looked to fill specific requests for items. Now, the funds will be pooled, meaning each gift card will be worth the same amount.

The change, the agency said, was made to allow each client an equal chance at receiving a gift card.

Donations are tax-deductible and will be accepted through Tuesday, Dec. 2. Donations can be mailed to the LMTAAA’s Olympia office at 2404 Heritage Ct. SW, Olympia, WA, 98502, and checks should include “Light of Hope” in the memo. Donations can also be dropped off on Mondays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., or by appointment, through Dec. 2 at 1651 S. Market Blvd. in Chehalis.

Donations can be made online at https://www.lmtaaa.org/LOH. 

According to the agency, funds will help clients purchase food, assistive devices, winter clothes, shoes, pet supplies, household items, hobbies, holiday meals and gifts for grandchildren, among other items.

Last year, the LMTAAA was able to help a variety of clients, including:

• A man in his late 60s who lives in a bedroom in communal housing who used his holiday gift card to purchase a blanket to keep warm in winter and a rain jacket to use while out on his electric wheelchair.

• A grandma in her early 60s raising her 8-year-old grandson who used her gift card to purchase new clothes and shoes for her grandson.

• A man in his 70s who had recently become bedridden with very limited mobility who used his holiday gift card to purchase a large holiday meal.

• A man in his 60s who used his holiday gift card to purchase a blender, sweatpants, warm socks and food storage containers.